Lighter and flame regulator

ABSTRACT

A lighter and fuel reservoir is disclosed in which the fuel utilized is a liquified gas. The lighter is characterized by a deformable valve assembly which controls the flow of gaseous fuel to a burner where it is ignited by a spark generator. The flow of fuel from the valve is activated by a spring urged slide member moved linearly although the user rotates the finger piece controlling the slide member. The flow of fuel from the reservoir to the valve assembly is controlled by a fuel regulator which includes a compressible porous member and a metallic piston, the piston acting as a heat reservoir to prevent unequal fuel flow and flame flare-up which may otherwise occur when the lighter is held in an inverted position.

United States Patent 1 1 Court 1 1 Nov. 6, 1973 [54] LIGHTER AND FLAME REGULATOR 3,072,151 1/1963 Quercia 431/131 Inventor: Patrick R. J. Court, west LOS 3,290,905 12/1966 Court 431/150 Angeles, Calif.

Primary ExammerCarroll B. Dorlty, Jr. [73] Assignee: Paul G. Garrity, Stamford, Conn. h A Mi h l [22] Filed: July 11, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 270,818 I [571 ABSTRACT A lighter and fuel reservoir is disclosed in which the i Apphcatmn'Data fuel utilized is a liquified gas. The lighter is character- [63] "'1 of 224951 ized by a deformable valve assembly which controls the flow of gaseous fuel to a burner where it is ignited by l a spark generator. The flow of fuel from the valve is acg 431,277 13 tivated by a spring urged slide member moved linearly 1 q although the user rotates the finger piece controlling [58] Field of Search ..431/130,1 31, 142, th rd b Th fl ff If th 431,143 150 254 276 277 222/3- esi emem er. e owo ue rom e reservoir to the valve assembly 18 controlled by a fuel regulator which includes a compressible porous member and a [56] References Clted metallic piston, the piston acting as a heat reservoir to UNITED'STATES PATENTS prevent unequal fuel flow and flame flare-up which 3,240,034 3/1966 Zellweger et a1. 431/277 may-otherwise occur when the lighter is held in an in- 2,626,517 1/1953 Ward 431/131 t d osition, 3,165,908 1/1965 Kihara.... 431/131 3,303,673 2/1967 8 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures A-yres 431/150 PATENTEDmv s 1915 SHEET 10F 4 PATENTED NOV 6 I973 SHEET 30F 4 FIG. 7

LIGHTER AND FLAME REGULATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 224,051 filed Feb. 7, 1972 and entitled Lighter and Fuel Reservoir.

This invention relates to lighters, particularly cigarette lighters, of the type using a liquified gas such as butane for fuel; and, more particularly, to a lighter which may be discarded when the initial fuel supply has been exhausted. Such lighters are generally referred to as disposable.

The term lighter as used herein ismeant to refer primarily to flame producing devices commonly called cigarette lighters; however, it is to be understood that the use of such lighters is not limited to the lighting of cigarettes, but they may be'utilized for any other purpose in which a flame is desired.

Lighters may be generally broken down into three groups. The first group consists of lighters called refillable, in which liquified gas'from a'large supply container is allowed to flow into a reservoir contained within the lighterLWhen the fuelis exhausted, the reservoir is refilled. Such a lighter is shown in US. Pat.

No. 2,743,597. The second group of lighters use a separate throwaway tank for a fuel cartridge and one is shown in.U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,471. The third group of lighters is called disposable lighters and includes those which are intended to be thrown away after the initial Lighters embodying the present invention would usually be of thedisposable type although they may also be which includes a movable burner tube, the mechanism closing the valve when the lighter is not in use or in an at-rest condition. The force to move the slide linearly is obtained from a rotated fingerpiece by means of a simple, yet effective construction. The valve, activating mechanism and burner are used in cooperation with the fuel regulator to provide a complete and inexpensive lighter which may be assembled from a minimum number of preformed or molded components and with a minimum amount of labor.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ligher which is efficiently manufactured and has a simple and effective valve activating mechanism. It is another object of the present invention to provide a ligher having a simple, yet effective valve arrangement to permit the flow of gas to the burner with reduced danger of flame flare-up.

These and other objects of the present invention will be obvious to one skilled in the art from a description of the illustrated specific embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a lighter of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view including somephantom line details of the lighter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the lighter of FIG. 2 along lines 3- 3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partially fragmentary-sectional view of a head portion of the lighter showing the fuel valve in a closed position and the valve activating of the refillable type. In addition, if desired, a fuel reservoir and fuel regulator sub-combination may be assembled as a separate unit and used as a disposable tank or cartridge.

In disposable lighters using butane as a fuel, for reasons of economy' many of the components are molded from various plastic materials. With such lighters a common cause of complaint is flame flare-up. This can occur when the lighter is held in an inverted position and liquid fuel is caused by gravity to enter the fuel regulator. The expansion of liquid fuel to a gaseous state within the fuel regulator absorbs heat from the flame regulating element which is insulated by the plastic components of the lighter. The flame regulating element thereby becomes chilled to the point that further gasification of liquid fuel is inhibited until it reaches the burner tube. With the sudden gasification of liquid fuel within the burner tube, the flame greatly enlarges, becoming a potential danger to the user. To overcome this problem, the present invention provides a metallic piston adjacent a compressible fuel regulator pad wherein the piston acts as a heat reservoir and conductor to prevent excessive chilling. Thus, the fuel is permitted to gasify at the pad and not thereafter. As a result, flare-up danger is eliminated.

The present invention also includes a simple, yet effective fuel valve and burner assembly. Basically, the fuel valve consists of a deformable member through which a bore or opening is provided. This deformable valve member, which is preferably non-spherical in shape, cooperates with a sliding activating mechanism mechanism at rest,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary and partially sectional view of the valve activating mechanism in the at rest position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the slide member moved to an active position whereby the valve member is opened.

. FIG. 7 is a sectional view along lines 77 of FIG. 5; FIG. 8 is a sectional view along lines 88 of FIG. 6; FIG. 9 is a perspective exploded view of the components of the valve activating mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view along lines 10 l0 of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective exploded view of the fuel regulator assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a fuel regulator assembly; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective exploded view of the fuel regulator assembly of the alternate embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings and to FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, a lighter 10 in accordance'with the present invention is shown. The lighter 10 includes a housing 12 which is preferably molded from a suitable plastic material which is resistant to the liquified gaseous fuel to be stored in the lighter, the standard fuel being butane. The housing includes a pair of narrow side walls 14, a pair of wider side walls 16, a bottom wall 18 and a top wall 20. If desired the reservoir formed by the walls of the housing may be reinforced with ribs 22 along or between the widerside wall 16.

Mounted on the top wall 20 is a sparkwheel 24 of well-known construction, the sparkwheel beingcarried in a sparkwheel support 26 which further includes integrally therewith a fingerpiece 28. The sparkwheel support 26 and fingerpiece 28 may be molded from plastic material as a single component. As shown in FIG. 9 in particular, as part of the sparkwheel support a pair of stub posts 30 are provided on which is rotatably mounted the sparkwheel 24. In addition, a second pair of stub posts 32 in the form of supports are fitted into flanges 24 which extend upwardly from the top wall 20.

As shown in FIG. 4 in particular, a flint 36 is fitted into a flint tube 38 and urged against the sparkwheel by means of a spring 40. The top wall has a substantial thickness at one side thereof and a bore 41 is provided through the wall. The bore 41 is intersected by an en larged opening 42 extending inwardly from the side wall 14. A fuel regulator pad 44 in the form of a pressed cellular material is inserted into the opening 42 and compressed therein by means of a pressure piece in the form of a metallic piston 46 which, in turn, is urged towards the fuel regulator pad by a flame regulator 48 which is screwed and threaded into opening 42. At the upper surface of top wall 20 a cylindrical recess 50 is provided which communicates with the bore 41. A ball valve 52 substantially in the shape of an ellipsoid is placed in the recess 50. It is to be understood that the recess may be of any desired configuration and the valve 52 preferably of any non-spherical shape without departing from the scope of the invention. The term ball is used in a broad sense and is not intended to have the limited meaning of being only round.

A bore 54 is provided through the ball valve 52 and the lower end of the bore 54 generally aligns with the first bore 41 in the top wall 20.

To permit fuel which may escape from the reservoir through the fuel regulator and the valve 52 to be properly burned, a burner tube 56 is provided. This burner tube 56 includes a flange member 58 and an opening 60 through the tube.

The ball valve is preferably made of a suitable rubber, such as Buna N synthetic rubber, which is resilient and may be deformed sufficiently under pressure to create a seal with a tightly fitting element, thus preventing'the unwanted escape of gaseous fuel through the bore 54 or, depending upon the construction of the recess 50, even around the valve.

When the lighter is not in use, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in particular, the burner tube 56 is not aligned with the bore 54 of valve 52. In this at-rest or closed position, the opening 54 is closed by the use of a member overlying it to seal the bore, such as the flange plate 58 of burner tube 56.

The opening and the closing of the valve is obtained by means of a valve activator 62 which is shown in FIG. 9 in particular and it is preferably made from a single stamping of flat clock spring steel. The activator 62 includes a base member 64, the end of which carries the burner tube 56. At the opposite end from'where the burner tube is carried is a curved connecting portion 66 and extending from the curved connecting portion is an end flange 68. An opening 70 is provided in the base 64 for the burner tube 56. Intermediately placed along the base 64 is a curved raised portion 72 which functions as a fulcrum to permit the valve activator 62 to combine cooperatively with the sparkwheel support and fingerpiece combination. The fulcrum 72 is fitted into a recess 74 in the sparkwheel support 26 and the fulcrum 72 combines with the recess 74 as a form of rack and pinion gear with only one tooth. The end flange 68 of the spring piece if fitted into a second recess 76 in the support 26. In order to permit the valve activator to slideably move with respect to the top wall 20 without interference from the flint tube 38, a slotted opening 78 is provided in the base 64.

As shown in FIGS. 4 through 8, protruding from the upper surface of the top wall 20 is a projection 80 which acts as a slide guide for the base member 64. The projection 80 and the valve member 52 are the two principal surfaces upon which the base 64 slides. This facilitates the rapid positioning of the burner tube 56 opposite the valve bore 54. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 in particular, when the mechanism is in an atrest position, the spring connecting portion 66 in cooperation with the end flange 68 urges the fingerpiece 28 and the sparkwheel support 26 in a counterclockwise direction (as illustrated). This causes the flange portion 81 of the support 26 to be urged downwardly against the base member 64 so that the engagement of the flange portion 81 with the base member 64 provides the limit stop of the mechanism in the at-rest position. In order to insure the sealing of the opening 54, the base member 64, in its free position, is inclined and deflected downwardly at a slight angle 82 with the horizontal, thus assuring good sealing pressure at all times. This is illustrated in FIG. 9 and an angle of about 7% degrees is preferable.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 10in particular, when the fingerpiece 28 is depressed the fulcrum 72 is engaged in recess 74 so that the rotationof the fingerpiece causes theburner tube 56 to be moved to an open position so that bore 54 of the valve 52 is uncovered and aligned with the opening 60 through the burner tube 56. With the bore 54 uncovered fuel may flow through the valve and the burner tube. By the same movement by which the fingerpiece 28 is rotated, the sparkwheel 24 may also be rotated against the flint 36 causing a field of sparks to be generated igniting the escaping gaseous fuel to provide a flame for the user.

The problem of controlling the flame flare-up as stated above is improved in, the present invention by means of the metal piston 46 functioning as a heat reservoir. As shown in FIG. 4 the forward face 84 of the piston 46 is forced against the fuel regulator pad 44 which is highly cellular and readily compressed to the desired amount. The more compressed one makes pad 44, the less fuel which will be permitted to escape through the bore41. Thus, it is the position of the piston face 84 with reference to the pad 44 which controls the size of the flame. In the normal upright position of the lighter, liquid fuel remains in the lower portion of the fuel reservoir, while gaseous fuel under pressure fills the remaining void in the upper portion. Thus, only gaseous fuel can enter the bore 41, to be controlled by the regulator pad 44. The user will normally adjust the size of the flame to suit his requirements with the lighter in the upright position. If the lighter is held in an inverted position, such as may be the case when lighting a pipe, for example, liquid fuel can enter the bore 41. Initially, the liquid fuel will expand to a gaseous state within the cellular pad and the flame will continue to burn normally. However, if this situation continues for too long a time, the expansion of the liquid to a gas will absorb heat and cause a substantial chilling effect to take place in the expansion zone of the pad 44. Since the plastic materials surrounding the pad 44 serve as a heat insulator, there is a substantial lowering if the temperature in that region which inhibits further gasification of the liquid fuel. Liquid fuel-can then enter the burner opening 60 where it immediately vaporizes, causing a much larger flame. The flare-up condition could cause'injury to the user.

' The presenceof the metal piston 46 provides a suitable reservoir and conductor of heat to control the excessive chilling of the pad 44, thereby allowing proper expansion of the liquid fuel to a gaseous state within the expansion zone of the pad. The flame, therefore, burns at'substantially the same rate, regardless of the position in which the lighter is held.

The piston 46 is preferably made of a metal which combines the properties of relatively high specific heat and relatively high heat conductivity. A preferred metal is aluminum.

It is necessary that the opening 42, through the side wall be'sufficiently sealed to prevent theescape of fuel therethrough. This is accomplished by means of an annular groove 86, provided in the piston 46 at the end which abuts the pad 44 and into which is fitted a suitable O-ring 88. The O-ring 88 seals the opening 42 to prevent the escape of fuel therethrough. It is to be understood that the pad 44 should have sufficient thick.-

"ness and density such that,'in the state of maximum compression to provide minimum height of flame, the groove 86 in the piston'46 cannot intersect the bore 41. If this were to occur, there is the possibility of fuel escaping around the groove 86, thereby bypassing the pad 44 and causing improper flame control.

ln FIGS. 12 and 13 an alternate type of piston 46:: is shown. ln this arrangement the regulator 48a has a simple recess 90a, into which the end of the piston 46a is inserted. As with the first arrangement, the fit between the end of the piston 46a and the recess 90a is such that rotation of the regulator 48a, by means of a coin engaging the slot 104, does not cause rotation of the piston 46a. This alternative embodiment provides a good workable arrangement, but it is not preferred over that shown in FIGS. 4 and 11 because the piston 46a is not captivated within the recess 90a. Thus, when the flame regulator 48a is unscrewed out of the opening 42, the resilience of the pad 44 and the backward pressure of the butane gas are depended upon to overcome the friction of the O-ring 88, so as to allow reduced compression of the pad and an increase in the height of the flame. This imposes an additional requirement'in the properties of the cellular material comprising the pad 44, which is not necessary with the arrangement of the original embodiment. Thus with the original, preferred embodiment a greater variety of cellular materials may be considered for the composition of the flame regulator pad 44.

The objects of the present invention as set forth herein before and others which are obvious to those skilled in the art may be accomplished by the illustrated embodiments.

The piston '46 is fitted into the cap-like threaded flame regulator member 48, which has a recess 90 therein. On the outer periphery of the recess 90, a collar 92 is provided whichv fits into a second annular groove 94 in the piston 46. Referring now to FIG. 11, it will be seen thatthe flame regulator 48 has a slot 104, which permits adjustment by means of a coin. The threaded portion is also slotted, so that the regulator may be flexed along the thin section between the two slots, thus allowing assembly of the collar 92 into the annular groove 94 of the piston. Preferably the flame regulator 48 is made of nylon which is sufficiently flexible to allow assembly to'the piston 46, and which has excellent self-lubricating properties. The fit between the flame regulator 48 and the piston 46 is such as to allow rotation of the regulator, without rotation of the piston. Preferably the piston has no rotation when the regulator is screwed into and out of the opening 42, so that there are no rotational forces applied to the fuel regulator pad 44, which might otherwise distort it and adversely affect its flame regulating properties.

The combination of the collar 92 and the annular groove 94 assures that the linear motion of the piston 46 is directly related to that of the regulator 48, both of the regulator is prevented. This feature also prevents the adjustment of the flame to a dangerously high level.

What is claimed: 1. A lighter of the type using liquified gas as a fuel, said lighter comprising:

a housing; j

a fuel reservoir in said'housing for holding a supply of fuel; I a

a burner;

deformable valve means connected to said reservoir and said burner and adapted to be opened to permit the escape of gaseous fuel from said reservoir to said burner;

a valve activating mechanism adjacent said valve means controlling the opening and the closing of said deformable valve means;

a generator for a spark to ignite fuel escaping from said burner when said valve is in an open position; said deformable valve means including a valve member made of resilient material contained within a recess in said housing, said member having a valve opening therethrough connected to said reservoir;

said valve activating mechanism including a slide member overlying the valve opening whereby when said mechanism is in an at-rest position the valve opening is sealed by said member; and

said valve activating mechanism further including a rotary mounted finger piece operatively connected to the slide member whereby rotary motion of the fingerpiece provides linear motion to the slide member and said member is adapted to be moved from sealing relation with the valve opening and the burner is positioned adjacent said opening.

2. A lighter as defined in claim 1 wherein the burner is mounted on said slide member so that when the burner is aligned with the valve opening fuel may escape through said burner from said opening.

3. A lighter as defined in claim 2 wherein said slide member has a spring portion connected to said fingerpiece, said spring portion urging the fingerpiece to an at-rest position whereby the valve opening is sealed by the slide member.

4. A lighter as defined in claim 3 wherein the slide member has a fulcrum thereon and said fulcrum is fitted into a recess on the fingerpiece whereby rotary motion of the fingerpiece cams the fulcrum so that linear motion is imparted to the slide member.

5. A lighter as defined in claim 4 wherein the spring portion is integral with the slide member and is connected at its end away from the slide member to the fingerpiece whereby in the at-rest position the spring urges the fingerpiece in a rotational direction opposite to that required to align the burner with the valve openmg.

6. A lighter as defined in claim 5 wherein the slide member is made of a spring-like metal and exerts a downward pressure against the valve member to seal the valve opening when the fingerpiece is in an at-rest position.

7. A lighter as defined in claim 6 wherein the slide member prior to assembly in the lighter is normally depressed at a slight angle to the horizontal.

8. A lighter as defined in claim 6 wherein said slide member overlies the housing and a projection thereon contacts said member and with the valve member provides the primary support for said member. 

1. A lighter of the type using liquified gas as a fuel, said lighter comprising: a housing; a fuel reservoir in said housing for holding a supply of fuel; a burner; deformable valve means connected to said reservoir and said burner and adapted to be opened to permit the escape of gaseous fuel from said reservoir to said burner; a valve activating mechanism adjacent said valve means controlling the opening and the closing of said deformable valve means; a generator for a spark to ignite fuel escaping from said burner when said valve is in an open position; said deformable valve means including a valve member made of resilient material contained within a recess in said housing, said member having a valve opening therethrough connected to said reservoir; said valve activating mechanism including a slide member overlying the valve opening whereby when said mechanism is in an at-rest position the valve opening is sealed by said member; and said valve activating mechanism further including a rotary mounted finger piece operatively connected to the slide member whereby rotary motion of the fingerpiece provides linear motion to the slide member and said member is adapted to be moved from sealing relation with the valve opening and the burner is positioned adjacent said opening.
 2. A lighter as defined in claim 1 wherein the burner is mounted on said slide member so that when the burner is aligned with the valve opening fuel may escape through said burner from said opening.
 3. A lighter as defined in claim 2 wherein said slide member has a spring portion connected to said finger-piece, said spring portion urging the fingerpiece to an at-rest position whereby the valve opening is sealed by the slide member.
 4. A lighter as defined in claim 3 wherein the slide member has a fulcrum thereon and said fulcrum is fitted into a recess on the fingerpiece whereby rotary motion of the fingerpiece cams the fulcrum so that linear motion is imparted to the slide member.
 5. A lighter as defined in claim 4 wherein the spring portion is integral with the slide member and is connected at its end away from the slide member to the fingerpiece whereby in the at-rest position the spring urges the fingerpiece in a rotational direction opposite to that required to align the burner with the valve opening.
 6. A lighter as defined in claim 5 wherein the slide member is made of a spring-like metal and exerts a downward pressure against the valve member to seal the valve opening when the fingerpiece is in an at-rest position.
 7. A lighter as defined in claim 6 wherein the slide member prior to assembly in the lighter is normally depressed at a slight angle to the horizontal.
 8. A lighter as defined in claim 6 wherein said slide member overlies the housing and a projection thereon contacts said member and with the valve member provides the primary support for said member. 